Die.



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFCE.

KARL ENGEL, 0F ARLINGTONQMIASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SZHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, l0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION .0F

DIE.

Speeieaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. il, 1913i Application led June 2,1910. Serial No.'564,638.

i To' all 'whom t mayoncem Be it known that I, KRL ENGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Arlington, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Dies, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specicatiomvlike reference characters on the drawings indi-` catinglike parts in the several lgures.

This invention relates to dies such as are used for dying out sheet material and more particularly to dies of the type used. with clicking presses in the production of blanks from upper leather for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

In ce'rtain styles of shoe, such as-sandals, or in shoes having ornamental foxings, it is the custom to employ blanks having per. forat-ions vor embossed markings formed therein for purposes of ornamentation or ventilation. In certain other blanks, such as Vamps, it is necessary to cut out a throat portion and Where such cut-out portion is of ornamental and extended contour, it is not.

always convenient to die out the complete blank at a single operation. In accordance with the present invention'it is proposed to die out such portions as lie Within the marginal contour of the blank lby an operation performed after the blank has been died out ofthe stock.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a die which may be employed advantageously in a clicking press for operatingon a blank previously formed either by hand or by the use of a die.-

By employing `a separate die for cutting the portions of the blank' Within its marginal contour, several advantages are 0btained. In the first place, the pressure required for this operation is unuch less than vrthat which would be required to die out the blank and the interior portions simultaneously so that cleaner cutting and less strain on the clicking press result. Then, in case the cut out portion is non-symmetrical in shape, it is possible to utilize a single die for operating 'on bot-h right and left blanks by reversing one of the blanks and locating the die on the Wrong side, or to die out simultaneously the interior port-ions of a pair of right and left blanks by superposing them With iesh orgrain sides adjacent and locating the die on the upper blank. Still another advantage lies in the fact. that a die of one size may be employed in operating-on blanks of several sizes, vthereby saving the expense of constructing a separate die for each size of blank.

The present invention maybe embodied advantageously in a die for cutting out` the throat and tongue of a vamp blank and in this connection an important feature-ofl the invention consistsin the provision of a die in-Which the tongue-cutting portion is located unsymmetrically with respect `to the portions Which cut the edges ofthe throat and va cutting portionis provided on that 'side from Which the tongue-cutting portion is displaced for cutting out a strap or other displacement of the tongue in a vamp blank is unnoticeable in a lasted shoe and that such displacement permits cutting a small entire blank from the throat which may be utilized subsequently in other parts of the shoe. Heretofore the part removed .from a vamp died out With an integral tongue has been cut into a number of small pieces none of which Was of further service in itself. In accordance with the present invention, however, it is possible to produce a useful blank of the best material from a part of t-he main blank which formerly had a value only as scrap, thus obtaining bettereconomy in cut. ting up the stock.

Another feature of the invention relates to means for properly locating or centering a die upon a previously cut out blank. Preferably a gage member may project from the die sufficiently to extend to or beyond the outline of dthe blank being operated upon, in order that the cutter may locate the die in the desired predetermined position on the blank with reference to some part of its conguration'. A single centrally disposed gage member has proved sufficient for this purpose Where a skilledcutter is employed but the invention contemplates also a coperating gage member which shall extend at an angle to that first mentioned and serve to determine the position lof the die With respect to another portion of the blank thus leaving nothing to the skill of the cutter.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a scale on the ga e member in order that the same die may blankslof different sizes, the location of the die being shifted in accordance with the size ysmall blank. It has been found that a slight e used with of the blank being operated upon. Where the invention is embodied in a die for cuttion consists in mount-ing such gage adjustably upon the die in order that it may be properly located in blanks of various sizes after a preliminary setting of 'the age.

,These and other features of the invention will be best understood' and .appreciated from the following description ot' the preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a view in perspective ota die for operating* on a sandal vamp shown 1n inverted position; Fig. 2 is a similar view of a die for cutting a double row ot perforations in a blank; Fig. 3 is a plan view or the die shown in Fig. 1 in position upon a vamp blank; Fig. l shows a completed blank.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated a die for cutting out the throat and tongue portions of a sandal vamp. lll`he die may be constructed of bar steel bent into the required shape and welded or it may be cut out of asolid block or plate. 'lhe sides oit the die are sharpened on one edge t for cutting and provided with a flat oppositely-disposed pressure-receiving edge 6. At the rear end of the die the two outer side portions 2 and 8 are spaced from each other a distance equal to the width desired in the throat ot the vamp and are rigidly maintained in this relation by a spacing block 18. At their Jforward ends the portions 4 and 8 are connected by an elongated tongue-cutting portion 10. which extends to ward the rear end of the die. A part of one side of the tongue-cutting portion is formed by the side portion 2 ot the die. A continuous blade 9 extending at a slight inclination to the axis ot' the die is.. formed in proximity to the side 8 and merges with the side 8 at several points in its length. A blade 12 is disposed in parallel relation with the blade 9 'forming a loop-shapedfportion which extends on. the opposite side ot the axis of the die trom the tongue-cutting portion 10. This port-ion will act to cut out an integral strap 32, as shown in Fig. d, while the tongue-cutting portion serves to cut the marginal edges ofthe tongue 3d. ylin the tongue-cutting portion 10 are secured two blocks 14 on each of which is arranged a pair ot slitting blades 16 which will form pairs cfslits 36 in the `tonflfue of the vamp through which straps may Ebe inserted.

To the spacing block or bridge portion 18 inserted between the rear endsv of the blades 2 and 8 is secured an ejecting spring 19 normally projectingbeyond the plane of the cuttingA edge of the die and serving to eject the strap 32 from the die when the latter islifted from the cutting block. To

the upper side of the forward block 14 is determining the transverse position of the' die on the blank. It desired, the size-indicating notches 40 may be formed at two placesin the Vcontour of the blank, one of these points being at the vcenter of the rear edge of the vamp at the place where the rear edge of the strap 32 Willfall. These centrally located notches are of assistance in locating the rearl end of the-die transversely of theblank and also indicate on each strap thesize of the' shoe with which itis to be used. lt will be noted that the strap 32 is cut out from the center of the vamp blank and, as it isxthe custom to cut Vamps from the best portion of a skin, astrap is secured bf better material than is usually employed for such a blank., Ordinarily, no other means` will be needed in determining the transverse position of the die; but, it desired, a transverse Gage 22 may be mounted on one side of the `ie. Preferably the outer end of this gage is hook-shaped for engaging the edge ot the blank and the gage may be adjustably mounted by means of a slot and pin connection with the die, as in this way adjustment forvarying sizes ot blanks may be effected conveniently.

lin Fig. 2 is illustrated a small supplementary die for forming the perforations d4; in the toe of a vamp. This die may prefer`- ably be cut out from a solid plate and cornprises a plurality of small perforating dies 24 connected by bridge portions 25, having cutting edges 26 and the pressure receiving edges 27. A gage 28 is secured to the under side ot the die and by being located on the blank properly with reference to the slits 36 will determine the proper position for the die. llt it is desired to use this die simultaneously with the die shown in Fig. 1 it-inay be placed upon a blank at the same time and located by the gage 28 with reterence to a slitting blade 16.

llhe perforating die and the throating die are' herein illustrated as independent dies adapted tor use either separatelyor simultaneously though it should be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to connect both dies or form them inte rally.y

llt will be seen that the tongue 34 is dien blank may be superposed and the center portion of both died out at a single operation.

My novel die may beemployed with particular advantage in the manufacture 'of shoes or sandals of that style in which the perforations are intended primarily for purposes of ventilation and extend completely through the blank and lining. Heretofore the lining `has been cut out to correspond with perforations previously formed in the blank and this has necessitated a separate operation or has been effected during the operation of stitching through the blank and lining around the margin of the perforations. By employingA a die con-` structed in accordance with the present invention,however, the lining and upper blank may be died, out, pasted or otherwise attached and then the perforations or ornamental design may be formed simultaneously in both. This mode of operation results in a cleaner cutting ofr the design and more accurate alinement of the perforations in the blank and lining than has been possible heretofore, and also reduces the expense of producing the completed lined and perforated blank.

While I have illustrated'my invention as 'embodied in dies for yoperating on previously formed blanks, that feature of the invention which consists in arranging a portion of the die unsymmetrically for better economy in cutting is not necessarily limited to this embodiment butmay be exemplified in a die for cutting the marginal edges and center of ablank'at a single operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newand desir to secure by-Letters Patent of the United States is l. A die" for cutting out portions from a previously formed blank, hav-ing a cutting edge of ,ornamental outline and an oppositely disposed pressure receiving edge, por,- tions of said die being unconnected and exf tending in rigid spaced relation at one end, a spacing block between said ends Vand a curved port-ion connect-ing the other ends.

2. A die for cutting'o-ut portions from a previously formed blank, having a cutting.

edge of ornamentai outline and an oppositely disposed pressure receiving edge, portions of said die being unconnected and extending in spaced relation at one endand merging into a connecting portion at the other endsaid connecting portion comprising an elongated loop-shaped 'blade extending toward the unconnected ends above mentioned. l

3. A die for cutting out portions from a previously formed blank, "having a cutting edge of ornamental outlineand an oppositely disposed pressure receiving edge, portions of said die being unconnected and ex tending in .spaced relation at one'end and merging into a connectingport-ion at the other end, said connecting portion comprising an elongated loop-shaped blade extending toward the unconnected ends of the die and being unsymmetrically disposed With respect to the longitudinal axis of the die.

.4. A die for cutting out portions from a previously formed blank, having a cutting edge' and an oppositely disposed pressure receiving edge, portions of said cutting edge extending in spaced relation each portion merging at one of its ends into a connecting portion including an elongated loop-shaped4 bladecentrally disposed with respect to said spaced portions at one end and lying nearer to one portion than the other portion at. its opposite end.

5. A die for cutting out portions froma blank, having a cutting edge and an oppo- ,sitely disposed pressure receiving edge, portions of said die extending in spaced 'relation and a connecting portion including an elongated loop-shaped 'blade spaced from one of said portions, lying adjacent to the other portion and merging at' 'each end into one of said ortions. l

6. A die or cutting out portions from a previously.forrned blank, Ahaving a cutting 'edge .and an oppositely disposed pressure receiving edge,portions` ofv said cutting edge being arranged upon opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the die' and'being adapted to intersect one edge of the blankin lspaced .rel-ation, and van elongated loopshaped cut-ting blade disposed 'with its axis' extending in the general direction of the axis of the die but at an inclination thereto,`

thereby leaving a vspace at one side into which a portion of the blank. may project.

7. A die for cutting out parts of a shoe upper, consisting of a cutter having the outline of a throat and tongue, and a strap die lying substantially Within the compass of the die but external to the tongue die and formed partly-of the same and partly of an attached supplemental cutting edge.

8. A die for cutting the throat and tongue of al vamp comprising outer cutting portions, an intermediate loop-shaped cutting portion for cutting a tongue connected to said outer cutting portions and a complementary loop-shaped portion oppositely arranged fro-m said tongue-cutting portion and formed in part by said tongue cutting portion.

9. A die for cutting out portions from a previously formed blank in combination With a gage mounted in said die for determining the location thereof with respect to the blank.

10. A die for cutting out the throat portion of'a vampv in combination with a .gage mounted on said dlegfor determining the location of said die With respect to the toe portion of the vamp.

l1. A die for cutting out the throat portions of a vamp7 in combination With a gage mounted on one end of lsaid die for determiningthe location of said die longitudinally of the vamp, said gage having a scale formed thereon.

12. A die for cutting Vout portions of a previously formed blank, in combination With a relatively fixed gage mounted thereon and an adjustably mounted gage disposed at an angle thereto.

13. A "die for cutting upper leather having a pressurev receiving edge and a cutting edge, in combination with a gage comprising an elongated strip secured to said die adjacent to its pressure receiving edge, eX- tending thence downwardly toward the plane of its cutting edge and outwardly substan tially in said plane.

In testimony whereof l have signed 'my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

KARL ENGEL.

l'Vitnesses:

HERBERT "V. KENWAY, FREDERICK L. EDMANDS. 

